Indiana QB Tronti plans to transfer to FAU
Player was Mr. Florida in 2016 while playing at Ponte Vedra Nease
BOCA RATON The quarterback competition at Florida Atlantic is about to get even stiffer with the expected arrival of Indiana transfer Nick Tronti.
Tronti, who was Mr. Florida in 2016 while playing at Ponte Vedra Nease, will have to sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules. After redshirting last year, he will have four years of eligibility remaining.
The Owls are already stacked at quarterback, with De’Andre Johnson and Chris Robison competing for the starting position. Like Tronti, Johnson (Florida State) and Robison (Oklahoma) started their careers at Power Five schools.
Freshman Cordell Littlejohn, a three-star recruit from Georgia, also adds depth to the position. Earlier this month, Owls coach Lane Kiffin hinted there was a possibility of acquiring another quarterback via recruiting or transfer.
“We’re always looking for good players wherever they’re at,” Kiffin said recently. “Junior colleges, grad transfers, guys who maybe qualified late. There won’t be as much movement as last year because we don’t have enough room, number-wise, to do that.”
Last season the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Tronti was named Indiana’s offensive Scout Team Player of the Year. He announced his decision to leave the program on social media in April.
“I am forever grateful to Indiana University, Coach [Tom] Allen, Coach [Nick] Sheridan, Coach [Mike] DeBord for giving me an opportunity to compete with the best in college football,” Tronti wrote on Twitter. “I will always be thankful for the experience and lessons that I learned while I was in Bloomington. However, I will be transferring from Indiana University.”
The move was made because of playing time concerns. The Hoosiers starter, Peyton Ramsey, is just a sophomore and made the Big Ten’s All-Freshman Team. IU also added Brandon Dawkins, who began last season as Arizona’s starting quarterback.
Tronti will face similar depth chart issues at FAU because Robison is a freshman and Johnson a junior. Still, the move allows him to compete in his home state and Kiffin has proven he is willing to make lineup changes at key positions.
Last year he benched starting quarterback Daniel Parr after three games in favor of Jason Driskel, who led the Owls to 10 straight victories. Parr transferred to Duquesne after the season while Driskel quit football to focus on academics.
As a high school senior, Tronti threw for 3,328 yards and 34 touchdowns and also ran for 650 yards and 19 touchdowns. Tronti led Nease to the Class 5A state title game, where it lost to American Heritage.
He is the latest in a long line of high-profile players to transfer to FAU under Kiffin. In addition to Robison and Johnson, last year the Owls picked up receiver Jovon Durante from West Virginia. He is a candidate to start alongside leading receiver Willie Wright. In January, Auburn receiver Kyle Davis announced he was coming to FAU and will be eligible next season.
The Owls, who are coming off an 11-3 season and a victory against Akron in the Boca Raton Bowl, are set to begin the most anticipated season in school history. They open at Oklahoma on Sept. 1.
srichardson@ sun-sentinel.com; On Twitter @shandelrich